


Specific Things

by adrianna_m_scovill



Category: Rising from the Dust
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Marriage Proposal, jackriel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-18 08:17:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21691294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adrianna_m_scovill/pseuds/adrianna_m_scovill
Summary: For Wendy, who wanted to see jackriel's proposal
Relationships: Jack Windsor/Gabriel Santiago
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13





	Specific Things

Gabriel looked over the scene with a satisfied smile. Everything was as perfect as he’d imagined: the flickering candles spread throughout the house gave the whole place a romantic feel from the start, and that was amplified by the soft strains of music flowing through the rooms. He’d been worried that he might’ve gone overboard with the flowers, but coupled with the candlelight they weren’t overwhelming.

He looked at his watch and pulled out his phone. **Late to your own proposal?** he texted, chuckling as he slipped the cell back into his pocket and headed toward the kitchen to pour the champagne. He filled two glasses and made sure the stove burner was on the lowest setting to keep the sauce simmering.

He frowned at the clock on the stove and pulled his phone out again. The lack of response to his teasing text made his stomach flutter uneasily, even though it had only been a minute. He walked over to the window and checked through the blinds, but his car was the only one parked in the driveway.

 **Everything ok? Call when you can.** He watched his screen for a few seconds, but there was no immediate answer. He considered dialing the number for only a moment; he wasn’t going to risk interrupting something important, especially when Jack wasn’t even ten minutes late yet.

Gabriel lifted his head at the distant sound of sirens, and his stomach clenched. He crossed the living room to turn down the music and then stood, listening to the wail of police sirens speeding through the streets. Unlike bigger cities, the sound wasn’t a common occurrence in Gabriel’s town. At most, there was usually a brief warble when someone was pulled over—the sound extended only if the driver didn’t move to the shoulder quickly enough.

The phone buzzed in his hand, startling him so badly that he almost dropped the cell to the carpet. He looked down to see Natalie’s face on the screen, and his heart was slamming in his chest when he answered. She knew what his plans were for the evening—for the weekend—and she wouldn’t be calling if it wasn’t important.

“Natty,” he said.

“Gabe…have you heard?” she asked, and the concerned tone of her voice did nothing to reassure him.

“No,” he said. He didn’t know what was going on, but he knew he didn’t have to elaborate, didn’t have to ask. She would tell him. He tried to brace himself for whatever it was.

“Honey, turn on the news. There’s…something happening at the bank.”

Gabriel walked over to pick up the remote and turned on the television, quickly switching to the local station. There was a reporter standing beside the news van, across the street and a block away from the bank. Behind her, there was a police cordon and more cop cars were arriving as Gabriel watched.

State police. All of the local patrol cars, along with several unmarked personal vehicles, were already there.

Gabriel barely heard what the woman was saying: an attempted robbery, a standoff inside the bank involving local police, two gunmen, and an unknown number of potential hostages.

Gabriel sank onto the couch, staring at the screen, scanning the background for some glimpse of Jack.

“Do you want me to come over?” Natalie asked.

“No, I…Is he inside? Did they say who’s inside?”

Her pause was enough of an answer, but she said, “Yes. Stay there, Arnie and I will be—”

“No, no, don’t. Just, um. Just…” He couldn’t tear his eyes from the screen as he tried to think, tried to figure out what he should be doing. “Call Ben, okay, let him know in case it’s picked up by the national news. I’m going to call Caroline before Alex hears—” He shook his head to clear his thoughts. “I have to go, thanks for calling.” He hung up before she could say anything else. He would apologize later when he could breathe.

He called Jack’s sister Caroline. Alex was staying with her for the weekend. Gabriel knew he sounded calm and reassuring while he explained to her what little details he’d managed to glean from the new story since turning it on, knew that he sounded convincing when he told her that everything would be fine and that he would call when Jack was home.

After he hung up, he fielded half a dozen calls from friends and family members, and he sounded just as calm speaking to each of them. The whole time, his eyes were glued to the live news coverage while his stomach burned. At some point he’d gotten up to pace, but he wasn’t even aware of it. He walked back and forth in the living room, watching the television screen, reassuring people that Jack was fine.

He had to be fine.

When people had finally stopped calling, Gabriel went to the kitchen and drank half of one of the glasses of champagne, something to calm his nerves and take the edge off the fear clouding his thoughts. He knew that Jack could take care of himself, but he also knew that Jack would never stand by and let someone else be hurt if he could do something to stop it.

Gabriel needed to do something but he didn’t know what. He found himself walking back toward the television. The reporter was saying that a hostage negotiator had just arrived on the scene and Gabriel glanced at his watch. It was going to be dark soon, and Jack must be hungry—

“Shit,” Gabriel said, turning to hurry over to the stove. He shoved the sauce off the burner before flicking the dial off. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, drawing a deep breath through his mouth.

He had to go somewhere, do something. He needed to go to the bank—He didn’t want to be in the way, he would stay well back from the blockades, but he needed to be there when Jack came out. He turned and strode toward the door, grabbing his keys off the table and reaching for his jacket, but he stopped cold with his hand outstretched at an unmistakable sound.

Gunshots.

They didn’t sound real. Television gunshots. Movie gunshots. The reporter ducking behind the side of her van, cameraman following her while still trying to film the front of the bank, looked like a film scene. The flurry of cops looked like a choreographed sequence.

Gabriel was standing in front of the TV again, unsure how he’d gotten there. People were coming out of the bank, ducking low with their arms over their heads while police in heavy SWAT gear ushered them to safety. They were all civilians, no cops were exiting the bank—

“Jack,” Gabriel whispered when he finally saw him walking out into the late day sunlight. Jack looked stunned, and he blinked around at the bustle of activity. Gabriel felt a rush of relief that made his hands shake. “Jesus,” he breathed, swiping his trembling fingers over his face.

Jack nodded to one of the SWAT members in response to a question, gestured behind himself toward the door, and started toward the array of cop cars. He seemed unhurt, at least physically, but there was an unsteadiness to his movements that made Gabriel uneasy.

He was still holding his keys in his hand, and he could be at the bank in just a couple of minutes. He wasn’t sure how long it would be before Jack could leave the scene, or if he would need to give a statement before he could go home, or if he needed to be checked out at the hospital, but Gabriel wanted to be near him.

Before he could make his feet move, he saw Jack scan the scene and look directly into the camera. Gabriel’s heart skipped a beat before soldiering on, and he watched Jack pull his phone out of his pocket.

A few seconds later, Gabriel fumbled for his own buzzing phone and again came close to dropping it. He looked down at the screen: **Please stay home.** Before Gabriel had a chance to answer, Jack stuffed his phone back into his pocket and turned to talk to another officer who’d hurried up to his side.

Gabriel closed his eyes and drew a deep breath through his nose. _Okay_ , he thought, letting the relief flow through his veins. _Okay_.

* * *

It was another hour before he heard Jack’s car in the driveway, another thirty seconds before he heard the rattle of the doorknob, and another five seconds before Jack stepped into his arms and buried his face into the curve of Gabriel’s neck.

Jack drew a deep breath, using Gabriel’s scent to sooth his nerves, and held onto his sweater until he felt grounded. Gabriel didn’t say anything, didn’t ask him questions. He just stood there, his arms wrapped around Jack and his hand rubbing calming circles over his back.

When Jack finally drew back he reached up and cupped his hands to Gabriel’s jaw, giving him a long, closed-mouth kiss. “I’m okay,” he murmured against Gabriel’s lips. “One hostage was shot but she’ll be alright. One gunman’s dead, the other’s in custody.” He pressed his forehead against Gabriel’s and let out a breath. “Are you okay?”

“I am now,” Gabriel answered, and Jack lifted his head to offer him a small, tired smile. “What do you need me to do?”

“You’re already doing it,” Jack said. He pulled further back and looked around, grimacing as he saw the flowers decorating the room and the arrays of candles that had burned low into their pools of melted wax. “I’m sorry I’m late.”

Gabriel laughed, the sound filled with relief. “If you wanted to get out of it you could’ve said so.”

Jack grinned at him. “I’m just glad you didn’t find somebody else to ask while you were waiting.”

“I’m a patient guy,” Gabriel answered, and Jack’s quiet laugh was the best thing he’d ever heard in his life.

“I am sorry, though. You put so much thought into this, everything is so…specific.”

“Specific?” Gabriel asked, glancing around. “I was going for romantic.”

Jack pulled him closer and kissed his nose. “It’s very romantic, honey, believe me. I didn’t mean it as an insult. I just meant you planned every little detail, put everything in the right place to make it perfect…”

“I burned the sauce but we had a jar of the cheap stuff Alex likes in the cupboard so I’m heating that up. Everything else is ready, you must be hungry. Go get changed into something comfortable and I’ll serve—”

“Looks like you dipped into the champagne without me,” Jack teased.

“Half a glass. I think I showed remarkable restraint.”

Jack laughed again. “Everything smells good. But I need a shower.”

“Of course,” Gabriel said, starting to pull away. “I’ll keep everything warm—”

Jack pulled him back around and into another hug, kissing the side of his neck. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Gabriel answered without hesitation, and he felt Jack smile against his neck.

“Will it ruin your plans if I ask for your speech?”

Gabriel drew back with a soft smile. “Wait right here.”

“Yessir,” Jack agreed, watching as Gabriel went to turn off the overhead light and turn on the music. He was back in front of Jack in less than a minute, silver ring glinting between his fingers. He started to shift toward kneeling, and Jack stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Wait, here, I’ve got this part,” he said, giving Gabriel a quick kiss before sinking down to one knee.

Gabriel blinked down at him for a moment and swallowed against the sudden lump in his throat. He gathered his composure and took a breath. “I, um. I forgot my speech,” he admitted. Jack grinned up at him. “I’ve never forgotten a line in my life…”

“Wing it, babe,” Jack suggested, grabbing Gabriel’s hand and bringing it up to brush a kiss over his knuckles.

“Okay. Um. I love you. I love myself when I’m with you. I love who we are together, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I don’t suppose we need to get married for that, but I’d really like to stand up in front of all our friends and family and make it official if you’re interested in that sort of thing.”

“So,” Jack said after a moment of silence, “you _are_ asking me to marry you, or…?”

Gabriel held out the ring. “Will you please marry me, Jack?”

Jack held up his hand so Gabriel could slip the ring onto his finger. “Abso-fucking-lutely,” he said, grinning at Gabriel’s bubbly laugh. “Where’s mine?” He put out his hand, and Gabriel fished out a second ring and settled it into his palm before turning his own hand over so Jack could slip the ring onto his finger. “No take-backsies,” Jack intoned, and Gabriel laughed again.

“Never. Get up,” Gabriel added, pulling Jack to his feet for a kiss. “Marry me,” he said against Jack’s mouth.

“Mmhm. Marry me?” Jack murmured in return.

“Mmhm,” Gabriel agreed, smiling into the kiss.

“Will you come in the shower with me?”

Gabriel drew back to look at him, arching an eyebrow.

Jack rolled his eyes. “Such a dirty mind,” he accused. “I just want to stand in the hot water and hold onto your naked body for a while.” His smile was impish and there was a mischievous gleam in his eyes, but the day’s trauma was still clinging to him, still visible in the lines of his body and the edges of his expression.

Gabriel gave him another lingering kiss and laced their fingers together. There would be time for champagne and a candlelit dinner later. “In that case, I’m all yours,” he said. “But, Jack?”

“Huh?” Jack asked as they walked toward the bathroom.

“You’d better not be late for the wedding.”

Jack laughed and slipped his arm around Gabriel’s back to pull him closer against his side. “I’ll do my best, Sugarlips,” he promised.


End file.
